The case for more public space

The case for more public space

If not for the Health Corridor in Montreal, social distancing would be nearly impossible. Photo by Christine Kerrigan

Urbanists, city planners, civil engineers and other professionals with a passion for creating more liveable communities have been telling us for some time that we need to stop building cities for cars… and make people the priority.

For decades we’ve treated urban centres more as a conduit for moving from A to B and as a consequence, many cities have allocated 40 to 60 percent of their footprint to roads and parking for vehicles. At the same time, these urban centres are often woefully lacking in green space and places to recreate.

For example, green space in Toronto represents just 13% of the city’s footprint, compared to park-friendly places like Vienna (45.5%), Shenzhen (40.9%) and Sydney (46%) at the other end of the spectrum.

And now with COVID-19, the need for public space is more pressing than ever… not just for safe distancing, but physical and mental health. One of the most ‘space-deficient’ areas in the GTA is the downtown core; and certainly the Rail Deck Park would go a long way towards addressing that need.

But realistically the project is going to take years to build and over $1.7 billion in funding – if the money is ever approved.

So, what can we do to free up space in the meantime? Visionary cities around the world are beginning to do precisely what urbanists have been telling us to do for years – taking road space away from cars and giving it back to pedestrians.

Oakland, which until now generated more headlines as a place with one of the highest crime rates in the U.S., has made headlines with its aggressive plan to fast-track the creation of over 100 km of ‘slow streets’.

Streets where sidewalks are being widened out onto existing roads, using bollards and street cones to create pop-up barriers – so that pedestrians and cyclists can get outside and exercise while safely distancing themselves from others.

Here in Canada, Montreal has established what’s known as ‘Health Corridors’ with plans to continue to keep expanding this pedestrian network. As urban design specialist Christine Kerrigan (a Montreal resident) observes, “they’re especially necessary in areas where people are lined up on the sidewalk in front of pharmacies, grocery stores and SAQs (liquor stores). In these areas, it would be nearly impossible to respect social distancing without walking into the street.”

If the Health Corridor didn’t exist, Kerrigan says “pedestrians would often find themselves sandwiched between on-coming pedestrians and parked or moving vehicles… and a person traveling in a wheelchair or pushing a baby carriage could not easily squeeze between parked cars in an attempt to respect social distancing.”

Similarly, Ottawa has moved to create safe passage areas in communities such as Westboro and on the Bank Street Bridge. Responding to public pressure, Ottawa has also reopened parks previously cordoned off, due to the lobbying efforts of the likes of councillor Shawn Menard.

And after considerable push back from the public and the media, Toronto recently announced it is finally doing something to address the shortage of pedestrian space with its ActiveTO plan, which initially will include the creation of 50 km of quiet streets and accelerating key parts of the city’s Cycling Network as a way to promote more active transportation.

What’s exciting for those who genuinely care about urban renewal, is the possibility that some of these current ‘pop-up’ projects – whether Toronto’s ActiveTO or Montreal’s Health Corridors will get city officials thinking more seriously about permanent measures to free up space for active transportation and recreation. And consequently, making our downtowns more liveable.

In a recent webinar I sat in on involving the former mayor of Bogota, Enrique Penalosa (brother of Toronto’s own Gil Penalosa of 8 80 Cities) frankly observed that “a pedestrian has the same rights as someone driving a car… and everybody should have access to green space without having to be a member of a country club.”

It’s a value shift that both brothers have actively promoted since the late 90’s, when they helped to dramatically transform the developing city of Bogota – creating an extensive network of parks and hundreds of kilometres of bike lanes. Measures designed to give the streets back to the people.

As Enrique eloquently conveyed during the webinar, the underlying motive for such bold steps… steps cities everywhere can learn from, is the need to “create quality of life… equally.”

Mark Wessel lives in Collingwood, Ont. and is a passionate advocate for living more sustainably at home and in the greater community. Visit his blog at sustainablecommunitybuilder.com

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